Chemical hazard declared

Pompano dry-cleaner site proposed for federal cleanup

POMPANO BEACH — A dry-cleaning shop on busy U.S. 1 has been proposed as a federal Superfund site after tests found nearby soil and groundwater contaminated with hazardous chemicals.

An Environmental Protection Agency official said the site presents no immediate health risk, but Broward County's pollution prevention chief said he isn't so sure.

Flash Cleaners, at 4131 N. Federal Highway, polluted the ground with a variety of chemicals used in the dry-cleaning business, most likely through spills and disposal of waste through a septic system, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Tests of soil and groundwater found concentrations of several chemicals exceeding federal safety standards, including dichloroethene, trichloroethene, tetrachloroethylene and vinyl chloride.

Although the shop still takes in dry cleaning, it no longer processes it on site.

Barbara Schuster, project manager for the EPA, said there's no immediate danger to public health. Eight drinking-water wells, serving Hillsboro Beach and other portions of northern Broward County, are within a mile of the site. But Schuster said there is little danger to the wells because they lie northwest or southwest of the site and the groundwater flows east, away from the wells.

Jeff Halsey, Broward County's director of pollution prevention and remediation, said there is not enough information to determine how much danger is posed by the underground spread of hazardous chemicals. Among the possible health effects of these chemicals are liver and kidney damage, neurological diseases and cancer, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Until we can get an assessment done and know exactly where the plume is going, we're going to be very, very concerned," he said.

The exact cause of the contamination is unknown, although environmental inspectors documented unsafe practices at the shop, according to EPA records. They found machinery and waste containers on a bare concrete floor without secondary containment. Wastewater from the dry-cleaning work was discharged into an on-site septic tank, which caused contamination of soil and water, according to the EPA.

The Superfund program, established after the discovery of thousands of tons of hazardous waste in the Love Canal neighborhood of Niagara Falls, N.Y., takes on the most serious contaminated sites. Under the program, the EPA tries to find the parties responsible for the pollution and make them pay for cleanup. Failing that, the Superfund pays, although its funds have dwindled since the expiration of a special tax on industries that pollute.

The owners of the shop, John and Susan Ferrel, say they didn't cause the contamination and can't afford to pay for cleaning it up. They bought the store in 1977 after working there for a year, and they've worked there ever since. They said they disposed of the waste properly and have been forced to pay for a preliminary environmental study because a state inspector found a small amount of dry-cleaning chemicals at the bottom of an unused machine.

"Because of that one thing, we spent a lot of money over the years trying to do what the county wanted and what the EPA wanted," Susan Ferrel said, speaking from their home in Sebastian. "We just can't afford this. It will take all our retirement."

The EPA will conduct a study of the site and figure out a cleanup plan. Among the most likely options are digging up the soil and taking it to a landfill or pumping up the water and treating it to remove the contaminants. It is unknown what will happen to the business.

The one-story, peach-colored shop stands just back from the noisy traffic of Federal Highway. An American flag hangs in the window. A sign in the door states that it is closed Monday. Behind the shop is the Beacon Heights neighborhood, consisting of small apartment buildings and one-story houses.

"This is the first I've heard of it," said Bob Manko, standing on the porch of his house on Northeast 42 Street. "If there's something bad there, it ought to be cleaned up."

But he said he hoped a small business wouldn't be harmed by having to spend an excessive amount, unless the cleanup is necessary.

"Common sense should prevail," he said.

David Fleshler can be reached at dfleshler@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4535.